Above the famous boulevard winding beneath the Hollywood hills rises a mysterious house steeped in the past and in illusion. Is it a palace, a museum, or a haunted mansion? Seventy-five years after its premiere, the iconic satire of Hollywood’s dream factory has received an exclusive, digitally restored 4K edition. This ultimate noir classic casts light and shadow on the obsessive relationship between the aging silent-film star Norma Desmond and the young, street-smart screenwriter Joe Gillis, who has yet to taste success. For many reasons, Wilder’s masterpiece—quite controversial at the time of its release—was counted among the favorite films of his fellow filmmakers such as Ingmar Bergman or David Lynch.
Billy Wilder (1906 – 2002) started as a screenwriter in Berlin, but fled 1930s Europe for Hollywood. There, he formed a celebrated writing team with Charles Brackett on hits like "Ninotchka" (1939). This success enabled his directing debut, "The Major and the Minor" (1942). Wilder proved impossible to categorize, mastering both grand melodrama and comedy. He directed noir classics "Sunset Boulevard" (1950) and "Double Indemnity" (1944), cynically realistic films like "Ace in the Hole" (1951) and "The Apartment" (1960), and the comedy masterpiece "Some Like It Hot" (1959).
